SheWolf
by Alice Lupin
Summary: When Hermione is bitten by a werewolf, Remus Lupin is called in to help her. She finds that she can't resist the smell of leather and rain... fresh cut wood... and something distinctly male... dominant male at that... And what does that musky smell mean? Title may change later.
1. Chapter 1 The Bite

_Author's Note: This story starts the summer after 6__th__ year. The war is over and Harry Potter came out victorious, with most of the events from the war in the 7__th__ book happening at the end of their 6__th__ year. Dumbledore had been destroying the horocruxes in secret throughout their 6__th__ year. The biggest differences, for the point of my story, is that Remus and Tonks didn't die and they didn't get married or have Teddy._

_Furthermore, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in this story, only the plot, which I hope you enjoy._

_Happy reading!  
AliceLupin_

**Chapter 1 – The Bite**

Hermione's favorite place to read was on top of the hill behind the Burrow. There was a gorgeous willow tree whose branches swept the ground, almost completely blocking her from view. It had one branch that was about three feet off the ground and made for a wonderful seat when one leaned against the trunk. Everyone knew she went there to be alone and it came as no surprise when she fell asleep.

Harry wandered out to check on her one night in July and found her fast asleep, her book laying open on the ground. He cast a heating charm and a protection charm around her and let her sleep, wandering back to the house.

"Where is she?" Ginny asked as he came through the front door.

"Fast asleep out in her tree." He replied. "She should be okay, I cast a light heating charm to keep her warm." Ginny nodded and they headed up to bed, passing Ron and George in the living room as they went upstairs.

Harry shot up and out of his bed the instant the piercing scream reached his ears. He grabbed his wand from under his pillow and tore out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, most of the Weasley's right behind him, wands in hand. Once outside the house, they could see a scuffle of sorts coming from the tree Hermione was sleeping in. Harry bolted towards it, blasting the branches out of the way.

Ginny screamed as she caught sight of the very large reddish wolf, the wolf that currently had its jaws clamped tightly around Hermione's ankle. Harry froze momentarily, not knowing a single spell to fight off a werewolf, before throwing every curse he could think of at it. The wolf dropped Hermione and quickly turned towards them. Arthur, Ron and George quickly jumped into the battle, throwing spell after spell at the animal while Ginny and Molly inched around the battle, trying to go to Hermione.

The wolf finally had enough. He growled, his eyes glinting under full moon before howling and taking off into the forest. They all rushed to Hermione's side as the wolf disappeared. She was sweating and groaning, seemingly unconscious. The bite on her ankle was deep and already she was turning pale from the loss of blood. Without a word, Harry lifted her carefully and brought her down the hill and into the house.

"It's all my fault." Harry groaned into his hands. They were all sitting in the living room, Hermione sleeping on the couch. Molly came in with a tray of tea and set it on the coffee table.

"It's not. We all thought she'd be ok out there." Ginny assured him. "How many times has she fallen asleep out there?"

"We shouldn't be pointing fingers." Arthur insisted. "We need to figure out what to do to help Hermione when she wakes up." They all glanced over at her as she shifted and started mumbling in her sleep. Molly had cleaned and bandaged her ankle as best as she could. Being a werewolf bite, it couldn't be healed with magic.

"Remus." George said suddenly. He quickly accio'd a piece of parchment, a quill and an ink pot. "Remus is the only one that can help her." He glanced around to see everyone agreeing with him. He quickly scrawled out a note to their old professor.

_Remus,_

_Sorry for the inconvenience, I'm sure last night was rough but we have a very serious matter that needs your… experienced help. Please come at the soonest possible moment. Mum will have breakfast ready by 8am and plenty of pepper-up and pain relief potion._

_George W._

He quickly passed the note around and everyone nodded in agreement before he attached the letter to Errol and sent him off.

Remus Lupin stretched out on the creaky old bed before getting up, wincing with every movement. He pulled his jeans on and paused when he noticed the owl sitting in the corner, waiting patiently for him.

"Errol? What have you got for me?" He asked the bird. He quickly buttoned and zipped his jeans before going over and taking the letter from the owl, who immediately took off. He read through the letter and frowned. His experienced help? Oh Merlin, his heart stopped for a moment, what if someone was bitten? He looked over at the old clock hanging on the wall. Seven thirty. He had time to apperate home and get cleaned up. He did so quickly before flooing over to the Burrow.

As promised, he smelt bacon, eggs and sausage coming from the kitchen. He walked into the room quickly.

"Remus!" Molly cried as he stepped into the kitchen. She handed him two potion vials and he smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Molly." He tossed them both back into his mouth, ignoring the disgusting taste, and immediately felt the tension from last nights transformation fade. "So," He started, sitting down at the kitchen table. "What is it that you need my help with?"

"That can wait until after breakfast, I think." Molly said quickly, placing a full plate infront of him. Ron and George were already shoveling food into their mouths and Ginny had just come down the stairs. "Ginny, dear, would you please take this up to Hermione since she won't come downstairs?"

"Sure, Mum." She carefully took the tray of food and potions and headed upstairs. Remus paused, a forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth, and frowned. Molly had given him the same potions. He tried to push his thoughts aside and focus on his breakfast but completely failed when Ginny came back down the stairs, smelling distinctly like a werewolf.

Remus' fork clattered to the floor and everyone looked up at him. He was staring at Ginny in horror.

"Remus?" George asked, trying to get his attention. But Remus wasn't listening. He quickly got up from the table, half eaten breakfast forgotten, and bounded up the stairs, ignoring the Weasley's calling for him to come back. Being a werewolf increased his senses drastically and he was easily able to follow the scent up to the third floor and into Percy's old room. He pushed the door open slowly, seeing that it wasn't closed all the way, to reveal a very pale looking Hermione trying to eat her breakfast. Harry sat on the bed beside her, looking pained.

"Hermione?" He breathed. Her head shot up and she stiffened slightly while Harry looked up looking relieved.

"I'll just…" He began, starting to get up from the bed. Hermione shook her head violently and grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave me, Harry." He heard her whisper. Harry nodded and lowered himself back down. Remus tentatively stepped into the room, knowing how emotional she was right now.

"What happened?" He finally asked. Harry looked to Hermione, as if asking permission.

Hermione considered the situation quickly. If anyone knew what she was going through right now, it would be Remus. But could she trust him? She mentally shook her head. Of course she could. He was Remus, well-known Order of the Pheonix member, her former professor and a good friend. Finally, Hermione nodded to Harry and he quickly described last night's events.

Remus listened intently and by the time Harry was done, he was frowning deeply. He took a deep breath and turned towards Hermione.

"You're a werewolf." He said. She looked at him like he was dumb for a moment.

"Yes. I think we've already figured that out." She replied in a slightly snotty voice. Remus, ignoring her tone, held his hand up for a moment, wondering how to continue.

"Tell me what you know about the symptoms of having lycanthropy." He said finally. "And anything you don't know or have questions about I will explain when you're finished."

"Well, there's the obvious symptom of turning into a giant wolf once a month." She started sarcastically. "And, of course, there's-"

"Hermione, don't be rude." Harry said, cutting her off. Her head whipped to the side and she glared at him. "He's only trying to help." He said gently. Hermione glared at him for a moment more before sighing and scrubbing her hands over her face. Remus smiled gently, trying to reassure her, though not missing the gesture that Harry had inherited from his father that had obviously rubbed off on Hermione. He couldn't count how many times he'd seen James rub his hands over his face in frustration, knocking his glasses askew.

"I'm sorry, Remus." She said finally. "I just-"

"It's fine, Hermione." He said with a smile. "I understand perfectly. I'm sure your emotions are pretty much uncontrollable at the moment and probably will be somewhat chaotic until your first transformation." She looked at him in shock.

"You mean I'll be like this for the whole month?" She cried.

"Probably not. It will settle down quite a bit in the next few days but you may have some random anger and sadness spikes throughout the month." She nodded.

"I know most of the symptoms only show up around the time of the full moon." She said quietly. He nodded.

"About three days before the full moon the symptoms will start appearing." He started. "You'll start craving slightly raw meat, your senses will increase almost tenfold, your emotions will be slightly chaotic. Even now you should be able to faintly hear mine and Harry's heartbeats." He paused as if for confirmation and she nodded slowly. "If today were a few days before the full moon, you would be able to hear everyone downstairs' heartbeats as well." She looked slightly shocked at that. "It's important to know that the wolf will probably have a completely different personality, which will show it's self around the full moon. Also, if you're" He paused, trying not to blush. "Romantically involved with anyone, the wolf will have it's own opinion of that person. It can go either way. If the wolf likes them as well you become very… protective of them. However, if the wolf decides that she doesn't like this person, she will do everything possible to end it." He blushed deeply again. "You will probably also have feelings of sexual frustration almost constantly before the moon."

"What should I expect afterwards?" She asked after a moment. She seemed to be digesting all this information quite well. But then again, she usually did, no matter what the information was about.

"The morning after is pretty bad. Your first transformation will be the worst. When you wake up the next morning it will be almost excruciating. It's pretty much mandatory that you keep a constant supply of pain relieving and pepper-up potion. The wolf will still be present but more in the background than before the moon." He paused. "Actually, after your first transformation you will constantly have a feeling of the wolf in the back of your mind, no matter what time of the month it is. She'll get easier to ignore though as time passes. Your senses will be much like before the moon, mellowing out within a few days. Your emotions however… Will simply be gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Harry asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Well, maybe gone is the wrong word… more like muted. You'll have a sense of how you _should_ be feeling in a particular moment, and you'll probably act correctly to how you should be feeling, such as looking surprised when you should be, but most of the time you'll feel… numb, I suppose is a good word for it." Remus explained. Hermione nodded, pretty sure she understood. "Do you have any questions?" He asked.

"How long will it take for the bite to heal?" She asked after a moment.

"Only a few days." She nodded and when it was obvious she didn't have any more questions he continued. "Well, if you come up with any don't be afraid to ask." He said.

"How long will you be here?" She asked as he stood up. He shrugged.

"As long as you'd like me to, I suppose." She smiled.

"You don't have to stay for me. I can owl you just as easily." He nodded before bidding them a good day and heading back down stairs.

Hermione woke the next morning feeling slightly better but still exhausted. She had spent all of the day before in bed. There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in Harry." She said. The door opened and he peeked inside, looking surprised.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked.

"I've differentiated smells by now." She replied, struggling to sit up in bed. He quickly crossed the room to help her and she smiled at him. "You smell like warmth and comfort, with a hint of sugar." His nose crinkled a bit.

"How can someone smell like warmth?" He asked. "What does warmth even smell like?" She shrugged. "What do Ron and Ginny smell like?" He asked curiously. She grinned.

"Ginny smells like syrup and pancakes most of the time and Ron usually smells like grass." Harry chuckled before holding out a book for her.

"Remus sent this for you." She took it from him excitedly. "Said it should help explain things that he's not too sure about. It's apparently specifically for female werewolves."

"Thanks, Harry." She replied. He rubbed the back of his neck and she sighed. "What? Come on, spit it out. I want to start reading."

"I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to join us in the living room. I could help you down the stairs." She shook her head immediately.

"When I woke up in the living room the morning after… Well, it was overwhelming. All the smells and noises." She shook her head again. "I want to get used to all of them separately before I take them on all at once."

"Is that why you won't allow more than two people in the room at once?" He asked. She nodded. "What will you do when we go back to Hogwarts?"

"I'll just have to be used to it by then." She replied. He left then, giving her time to read.

Hermione shifted from foot to foot nervously, waiting for Remus to get to the Burrow. She tried to block out all the smells and noises around her but being the day before the full moon made things even more difficult. The last month had been spent mostly in her room reading as many werewolf books as she could. Remus had agreed last week to accompany her during her first full moon and she had been waiting patiently for him all day.

Sighing, she decided she had to get out of the house. She had been restless all day, something Remus had told her about. She started in her room and began cleaning when she couldn't sit and read any longer. After the room was spotless, she sat and tried to read once more, giving up after about ten minutes. She wandered downstairs where Harry and Ron had dragged her into a game of exploding snap. They quickly realized this was a bad idea however as the cards exploded and Hermione began screaming at them about all the noise they were making.

Hermione had then attempted to help Molly make lunch but quickly gave up realizing that she found the task incredibly boring. So that is why Harry found her, an hour later, laying in the field behind the Burrow staring up at the cloudless blue sky.

"Hey, I've been looking for you." He said, sitting next to her. "Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded wordlessly. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, I suppose." She replied. "Just incredibly restless. The house was giving me a migraine. The sound of the scrubber on the pans that Molly charmed sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. And I've noticed this incredibly annoying whinning tone to Ron's voice. I'm not sure if it's always there and I'm just noticing it now because of the moon or if I'm imagining things because he pissed me off with-" She froze and sat up quickly catching a new scent in the air.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. She held up a hand to silence him before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She calmed herself with a few breaths and listened as well. Something smelled absolutely amazing. It was like… leather and rain… fresh cut wood… and something distinctly male… dominant male at that. She was surprised to find her body responding so strongly to this new scent. She felt a heat begin to pool in her lower stomach. Her eyes shot open when she heard soft footsteps coming towards them.

"Someone's coming." She said, turning towards the house. She felt something stir inside her as she saw Remus walking towards them. She frowned. What the bloody hell was this? As he got closer, the smell became more prominent and she couldn't get her mind off it. Remus said something but she was too busy staring at him like an idiot to listen. Until Harry nudged her with his elbow. "What?" She snapped at him, angry that he had interrupted her scent investigation. He immediately held up his hands.

"I was just trying to get your attention. Remus was talking to you." He said quickly, looking confused.

"Are you ready to go, Hermione?" Remus asked again. Her head whipped around to look at him again in shock. His voice was lovely. Wrapping around her like silk. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. What in Merlin's name was this? "Best go say goodbye to the Weasley's and grab anything you'll need." She nodded once more and hurried off to the house. Once she had said good-bye to everyone and packed a small bag her and Remus headed outside again, walking towards the edge of the apperation boundaries.

Remus glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. He wondered if she realized that he could smell just as well as her. Her smell had always been slightly distracting for him. She usually smelled like strawberries and vanilla and heaven. But currently it had a slight… No, more than slight, darker smell to it that was making his jeans a bit uncomfortable.

Hermione nearly tripped and fell on her face when his scent changed and a musky smell invaded her senses. Was he… aroused? She quickly pushed the thought from her mind as she felt the warmth pool in her stomach once more. And then her stomach dropped as she realized that if she could smell his arousal, there was no doubt that he could smell hers.

And oh, he could smell it. He stopped as they reached the edge of the barrier.

"Are you ready?" He asked, trying to sound normal. She picked up on the husky tone to it immediately though. She nodded and then tensed as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his smell completely surrounding her. He gripped his wand tightly, focusing with all his might to block out her smell and the feeling of her in his arms, and apperated them to the Shrieking Shack.

_Author's Note: I have a feeling this story is going to be quite fun to write. What do you guys think so far? Am I going to fast? I'm kind of going for instant animal attraction, if you couldn't tell._

_R&R! Thanks!  
AliceLupin_


	2. Chapter 2 Hermione's First Moon

_Author's Note: Hello again! Here's chapter two, Hermione's First Moon. We left off as they apperated to the Shrieking Shack. Again, I'm not J.K. Rowling and I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I'd be writing more books! Haha. Hope you enjoy! And I sincerely hope that I don't confuse anyone with my werewolf-human switching._

_Happy Reading!  
AliceLupin_

**Chapter 2 – Hermione's First Moon**

"Whoa. Careful." Remus said, gripping her tighter as she stumbled when they landed. He was incredibly aware of the position they were in. Her pert chest was pressed firmly against his broad one and his hands were on his hips, trying to steady her.

Hermione was trying with all her might not to breath. But when she stumbled and Remus pulled her closer, she involuntarily gasped and Remus' scent invaded her senses once more. She looked up at him and had to hold back another gasp as she saw his eyes had changed. His normally cobalt blue eyes had gone gold. She wondered briefly if her eyes had changed as well… Until Remus' lips crashed against hers.

He knew they had to prepare for the upcoming night. He had yet to take his Wolfsbane potion and he needed to tell Hermione what to expect. He had felt the shift in his eyes and when Hermione opened hers… Well, the bright gold looked amazing on her. That, mixed with her smell that was enveloping him, had made her completely irresistible to both him and Moony and he couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips to hers.

He was a damn good kisser. Hermione hadn't a coherent thought in her mind. She felt Remus' tongue against her lips, begging for entrance, which she happily granted. She moaned immediately. He tasted a hundred times better than he smelled. She felt him pulling back and the growl that ripped itself from her throat surprised her. Remus simply chuckled.

"We need to prepare for the night." He said simply. It took all his will power to remove his hands from her hips and step back. "Our eyes have already changed. I need to take my Wolfsbane potion and tell you what to expect." He paused. "Unfortunately you won't be able to start taking Wolfsbane until next month."

"Why not?" She asked. She wanted to ask for a mirror but she felt it would be silly.

"It can be damaging to someone who's not a werewolf, which your technically not yet. Not until your first transformation is complete." She nodded and he didn't miss the hungry look she shot him. He could smell her arousal as if it were a flower beneath his nose and he knew she could smell his just as well. He continued talking, trying to take his mind off of it. "The transformation itself is very painful." He busied his hands with the potions in his bag to stop himself from crossing the room and pulling her into his arms.

'_But we want her!'_ Moony demanded.

'_Now is not the time!'_ Remus replied. He placed the potions for the morning in a drawer and then unstopped and drank his Wolfsbane, grimacing.

"When you can take the potion, be prepared. It tastes like troll dung smells." He told her. "When the wolf comes out, it's very… strange at first. It feels sort of like an Imperius curse; watching everything that you do, without being able to control your actions. Even with the Wolfsbane, the wolf is still there. In that case, it's more like doing Occlumency, almost like having two people in your head at once; you and the wolf." He paused. "It can be scary not being able to control your actions but the calmer you stay, the easier it will be. In certain circumstances, the wolf can still break through the Wolfsbane potion and, on rare occasions, can break though even though it's not yet the full moon. Moony does it quite a lot but you can always tell by my eyes." He grinned at her and his golden eyes sparkled.

She tried desperately to stamp down the tingling that had spread across her body at his smile.

'_We will have him.'_ Said a quiet, rough voice in her head. She hoped that her shock didn't show on her face. Was this the wolf?

'_Of course it is, silly girl. Who else would it be?'_ The voice responded to her unasked question. Remus was talking again but she couldn't pay attention due to the rambling in her head. She was quite glad Remus couldn't hear it. _'Such a beautiful wolf-man. We want to run our fingers through his hair and feel his strong arms. Can't wait to rip his shirt off and touch his chest. Such beautiful eyes. And-oh! Wonderful arse!'_ She thought as he turned around. _'Can't wait to meet the wolf… What was his name? The wolf I mean not the man. Moony! That's right. Can we mate with him?'_

"Hermione!" Remus called. She shook her head quickly and focused on him.

"Sorry. She won't shut up." Hermione said, blushing. He grinned wolfishly.

"And what exactly is she saying?" He asked, his voice husky once more. He and Moony had a good idea of what her wolf was saying, judging by her increasing arousal. The wolf in Hermione trembled with excitement as Remus stepped towards them.

'_Behave!'_ Hermione told her wolf firmly.

'_Not a chance!'_ The wolf replied. Hermione felt a strange shifting in her head and she watched in dismay as her body took the last few steps towards Remus, ignoring her protests that now was not the time. _'Now is the perfect time.'_ Her wolf said smugly as Remus' hand raised to her cheek. _'Now sit back and watch Mia work.'_

'_Is that your name?'_ Hermione asked. She felt the wolf nod and turn it's attention to Remus.

Meanwhile, Remus was dealing with his own battle against Moony but it was halted as Hermione stepped towards him, determinedly.

"Mia says that you have an amazing arse." Mia said. Hermione felt like she should blush at the words coming from her mouth but Mia was pretty much in full control.

"Mia?" Remus asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Is that you're name, beautiful?" Moony asked.

"It certainly is." Mia replied. Remus chuckled as Hermione's flickered back to brown for half a second.

"Don't fight it Hermione." He murmured. "It'll only make it harder on you."

"But-" Hermione said before Moony silenced her with a bruising kiss. Mia squealed in delight and kissed him back eagerly, wrapping her arms around his waist. Moony buried his hands in her hair and pulled her closer. Remus jumped slightly when Mia firmly gripped his bum but Moony growled appreciatively, trailing a hand down her side.

Remus suddenly ripped himself away from her, panting.

"It's starting." He said. "Take your clothes off quickly so they don't rip." He quickly stepped into the next room. Sure enough, Hermione heard Mia howl triumphantly in her mind before a searing pain ripped up her back. She quickly pulled her clothes off then shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see her skin rip itself apart as the wolf emerged. The transformation probably only took around a minute but the pain made it seem so much longer, hours longer.

Remus was by her side the instant his transformation was done. He sniffed at her before lying down next to her, waiting for her to be done with the pain. When Mia rose unsteadily to her feet, Hermione was shocked to see large paws rather than feet and hands. She saw something out of the corner of her eyes and Mia quickly spun around, gripping her tail between strong jaws and grinning wolfishly. Moony barked a laugh.

'_She's a beautiful wolf.'_ Remus thought to himself tracing the dark brown wolfs body with his eyes. He could tell that Mia was in full control now and he was waiting for her to challenge Moony. She suddenly turned towards him, her eyes bright. _'Here it comes.'_ He braced himself for an attack that he knew Moony would win. He just hoped he didn't hurt her too bad.

Mia shocked Remus, Hermione and Moody when she pounced on him, not in a show of dominance but in a playful sort of way. Moony forced out a growl and Mia rolled off of him immediately, rolling over to lay on her stomach. Moony surprised them all by biting the back of her neck just enough to cause discomfort but not enough to break skin. He was showing her that he was the dominant one, while still being careful.

'_We can't hurt our mate, afterall.'_ Moony told Remus, who fully agreed. Mia growled playfully and nipped at him before turning and bounding downstairs. Remus chuckled. She was such a pup. He quickly chased after her. He knew that there would be no more sexual advances until they were in their human forms. She was, for all intents and purposes, still a pup. It was her first moon and she had to get used to her new form before the nips would stop being playful and start being… more. Both Remus and Moony knew this but that didn't stop either of them from admiring her, wolf and human form.

They chassed each other around the Shrieking Shack for about an hour before jumping up onto the bed and curling up together. They slept soundly for most of the night. Remus woke just as the moon was going down. He jumped off the bed and pulled the blankets over Hermione just as his transformation started again. He quickly ran to the other room, knowing they would both be in a state of undress. It killed him to hear Hermione's whimpers of pain that turned more and more human every second.

He felt his transformation finish and the emotional numbness settle in while his bones groaned in protest as he pulled his jeans on. He pushed the door open to see Hermione pull an over-sized shirt over her head, tears streaming down her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently. She shook her head and laid back down on the bed. He sighed. She must be in terrible pain. He quickly pulled out a pain relieving potion, unstopped it, and helped her drink it. Moments later her face relaxed, the lines of pain disappearing. "Better?"

"Much." She said before yawning.

"Would you like to take a nap before heading back to the Burrow?" She nodded and patted the bed beside her. He smiled and laid down next to her.

'_Until next month, Moony.'_ Mia said, contentedly. Taking her last chance, she seized control of Hermione's body once more and snuggled into Remus, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, before drifting off to sleep.

"Hermione!" Harry called, spotting her and Remus come up the lawn. He started towards them but froze a few steps away when he saw how exhausted she looked.

"Hey Harry." She said, forcing a smile. Remus was right. She was incredibly sore and although she knew she should be happy to see Harry she simply couldn't get up the energy to actually be happy.

"How was your night?" He asked tentatively.

"It was…" She paused, considering her words. "Interesting."

"You look exhausted."

"That's because I am."

"Molly has breakfast ready inside if you guys are hungry." He told them both.

"That would be great." Remus said. His stomach rumbled loudly in agreement and Harry chuckled, leading them up to the house. When they were seated at the table, Molly placed full plates in front of them and Remus dug in gratefully.

"You're Hogwarts letters came today." Molly said, handing Hermione her envelope. Hermione set it on the table in front of her and turned towards the plate. She wasn't really in the mood to eat. All she wanted to do was go upstairs and sleep. She started pushing the food around her plate until she felt Remus' hand on her knee. She looked up at him.

"You need to eat." He said gently. "I know you don't feel hungry but if you don't eat now you won't be able to get any sleep later." She nodded and took a small bite. The flavors exploded in her mouth and she suddenly realized just how very hungry she was. Remus chuckled as she dug into the plate in earnest.

When the food was gone, she leaned back in her chair and stretched carefully, wincing as she did so. Thankfully, Molly choose that moment to place pain relieving potion and a pepper up potion in front of her and Remus. Hermione quickly tore the stoppers off and drank them, ignoring the foul tastes as the pain receded from her body and she felt a bit more energized. She reached out and picked up her letter, tearing the seal open. The envelope felt strangely heavy.

"I was thinking we could go to Diagon Alley today." Molly said. "That is, of course, if you're up for it Hermione. If not it can wait til tomorrow or the next day."

She felt cheated as she pulled out the shiny Head Girl badge. She should be ecstatic over this, but instead she simply felt a mild sense of excitement. There was a letter congratulating her on becoming Head Girl as well as the letter they got every year listing their needed supplies. She frowned as she pulled out another letter, this one directly from Headmistress McGonagall.

They all looked up as an owl swooped into the kitchen, dropping a letter in front of Remus. He flew around for a moment before finding a place to perch, waiting for a reply. Hermione turned her attention back to her letter as Remus opened his.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I have been informed of your unfortunate accident over the summer and I'd like to tell you how deeply sorry I am for you. Being a werewolf is no walk in the park. Having said this, I will completely understand if you decide to turn down the position as Head Girl. If you decide to do so, the position will go to Miss Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw, and you must send the badge back with the owl I have sent to Remus._

_I find myself in need of a Defense teacher once again and he seemed an appropriate choice as he can be there to help you adjust as well._

_Awaiting your decision,  
Minerva McGonagall,  
Headmistress,  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

She looked over at Remus to see him finishing his letter.

"Are you going to take the job?" She asked. He looked at her in shock and she gestured to her letter. "McGonagall told me. I've been offered the Head Girl position but she said that I can decline if I feel it'll be too much to deal with this year." Remus nodded in understanding.

"I don't see why not." He replied. "I did love teaching." He smiled and Hermione felt his hand on her leg once more. "And if I accept it I can be there to help you." She nodded, not trusting her voice. She had to wonder if it was Remus touching her leg or Moony, but then, she decided, she didn't particularly care. It felt nice either way.

"I think I'll give the Head Girl position to Luna." Hermione said, thinking out loud. "McGonagall's right. Head duties on top of being a new werewolf would be completely draining."

"Luna?" Harry asked. "Was she McGonagall's second choice?"

"It would make sense." Ginny said immediately. "Luna's very bright for being as… unique as she is." Ron snickered and Molly smacked him on the head.

"Luna is a lovely girl." Molly said. Hermione looked up at Remus, who was deep in thought.

"Will you take the job?" She asked again, quietly. Remus stood up from the table.

"I think I'll escort Hermione up to her room and get her settled. I'm sure she could do with a nap." He said. Molly nodded in agreement and turned to do the dishes. Hermione followed him quickly and the scrubber started scratching at the plates, starting another headache. She followed him upstairs silently and he closed the door behind her when they stepped into the room. She sat down on her bed and patted the spot next to her. Remus smiled, seeming sad, but he sat down next to her anyways.

"What are you thinking?" She asked finally, after studying his face for a moment.

"The pros and cons of taking this job." He replied, staring at the wall in front of them.

"Like?" She probed.

"Pros being that it would keep me busy and give me some money. I really do enjoy teaching as well. And I would get to spend more time with you. Help you through the next few months as you adjust. Cons being that the castle reminds me so much James, Lily and Sirius. And that I'd be around you more often." He said the last part slowly, unsure of his words. She frowned.

"Why is being with me a pro and a con?" She asked after a moment of silence. He smiled, looking tired.

"As much as Moony wants you… it could get us into a great deal of trouble." He replied.

"How so?"

"Well, for one you're underage-"

"I'm 17." She replied quickly. He sighed.

"And I'm 37." He replied. "Not only that, you'd be my student."

"There's no school rules against a student and a teacher dating." She argued.

"You'd know." He said, grinning tiredly at her. "It would still be frowned upon. I'm sure there will be plenty of people that think I'm being biased towards you. Not only that but I'm a werew-"

"Don't even use that excuse." She interrupted him. "I'm a werewolf too."

"I'm almost twice your age, Hermione!" He said, his voice almost pleading. "And I'll be your teacher. It wouldn't be right." Mia growled in Hermione's head and took partial control of her body. Remus gulped as her eyes took on a gold tint.

Mia turned and swung her leg over Remus lap, straddling him. Hermione felt herself blush a bit but Mia ignored it.

"Don't you dare tell me that this doesn't feel right, Remus Lupin." Mia leaned down and captured his lips. Remus groaned and deepened the kiss without a thought, exploring the inside of her mouth and wrapping his arms around her waist. Despite Remus' words that feelings were dulled after the full moon, Hermione was definitely aware of the heat and fluttering in her stomach. In their heads, Moony and Mia cheered. Mia released her hold on Hermione and faded away. The kiss turned sweeter and softer and finally Remus pulled away, breathing heavily.

"Was that you or was that Mia?" He asked after a moment. "Because that's another problem I'm having. I don't know if it's just Mia and Moony that are attracted to each other or if it's us." He looked into her eyes, glad to see the gold tint gone.

She pulled up all of her Gryffindor courage and raised her hand to his face, placing her palm on his cheek and brushing his lips gently with her thumb.

"Mia just gives me the courage to do what I want." She said finally. She leaned forward slowly giving him plenty of time to pull away if he wanted. He didn't and so Hermione pressed her lips to his once more. He moaned into her as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her closer then ran his hands up her sides. Her hands flew to his hair, running her fingers through his deliciously soft blonde locks. He growled as her nails scrapped against his scalp and neck. Not breaking their kiss, he lifted her off his lap and flipped her over, settling his weight on her carefully.

He had never felt this alive so soon after the full moon and he knew in an instant that it was because of the amazing woman beneath him. He pulled back slowly and looked down at her. She was beautiful. Her hair was tousled from him running his hands through it and her lips were swollen and redder than usual. He gently kissed her once more.

"I've a letter to send." He said, pulling away from her and sitting up. "It seems I have a job to accept."

"Now, what do you all need?" Molly asked as they stepped into Diagon Alley.

"Mostly books." Ron said, frowning down at his list.

"Ron and I need our robes adjusted." Harry added.

"And can we stop by the shop?" Ginny asked, referring to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"I'd like to stop by Quality Quidditch Supplies, as well." Said Harry.

"Ok." Molly said. "First stop, Gringotts. Then we'll go by-"

"Oh! I need to go to Slug and Jiggers!" Hermione said, cutting Molly off. The older woman glared at her for a moment and Hermione blushed. "Sorry." She said quickly.

"Then we'll go by and see George and go to Madame Malkins." Molly continued. "We'll get your books and hit the Quidditch store and the Apothecary on the way out."

"Why do you need to go to the Apothecary?" Remus asked Hermione curiously.

"I want to buy ingredients to make the Wolfsbane potion and the pain relieving potion." She replied. "And maybe the pepper-up potion." She paused. "But probably not because it's cheaper to buy it already made than it is to buy the ingredients."

"Hermione," Remus started. "The Wolfsbane potion is quite difficult." She stopped in the street and stared at him. "What?" He asked, shifting from foot to too nervously.

"You don't think I can do it?" She asked, feeling slightly hurt.

"No, no. That's not what I said." Remus said quickly.

"I'll test it first if you're worried about it not working." She said, continuing walking.

"I never said I was." Remus repeated. "I simply said it's difficult potion. I don't doubt your ability one bit but I know that the potion is really time consuming." He said, clarifying himself. She shrugged.

"It's a whole lot cheaper than buying it every month." She said. The reached Gringotts and Harry, the Weasley's, and Remus went down to their vaults while Hermione exchanged 100 Muggle pounds for Wizarding money, which equaled out to 20 galleons.

When they returned they went across the street to say hello to George. He had just reopened the shop last month in anticipation of the kids getting ready for school. Shortly after the war, and Fred's death, George decided that the best way to remember his twin brother was to continue the dream that they had worked so hard to bring to life. The shop was an amazing success so far and George was considering opening a slightly small shop in Hogsmeade as well.

"To be closer to the kids." He had said. There was a decent sized crowd in the store, mostly kids buying their school supplies. They wandered around the shop for a bit and Hermione picked up some spell-checking quills.

Remus grinned as he saw the shelf of love potions. He picked one up and made his way over to Hermione.

"What would you say if I asked you take a love potion for me?" He asked quietly. She looked up at him in shock.

"Why would you want me to do that?" She asked curiously. "You know I already have feelings for you."

"Oh come on. It could be fun." He winked at her and covertly grabbed her bum. She laughed and the group slowly made their way up to the cash register and George.

"Hey guys." George said, smiling brightly as they walked towards him. "Fancy some Skiving Snackboxes?"

"George, don't you dare give those to your siblings!" Molly yelled. Hermione placed her quills on the counter and George rang her up, placing a box of Daydream Charms in her bag as well. He handed it over to her with a wink.

"On the house. Be careful with those now." He said as she blushed. Remus quickly handed him the money for his love potion, ignoring George's questioning looks and hoping to Merlin he didn't say anything. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. They quickly made their way out of the shop and Harry and Ron rushed off the Madam Malkin's to get their robes adjusted, Molly and Ginny following them.

"Would you like some ice cream?" Remus asked Hermione. "I was thinking some chocolate chocolate chip sounded delicious." She smiled.

"Sure. We can split one if you like; I'm still mostly full from lunch." She laughed. Remus nodded and crossed the cobble stone street to buy a large ice cream. They decided to wander down the street a bit since Harry and Ron would take a while. Hermione ran inside to let Molly know before they started walking. She had to admit, the chocolate was delicious. They passed Eeylops Owl Emporium and she stopped to look in the window.

"Thinking on buying an owl?" Remus asked, taking a scoop of ice cream. She shook her head.

"Just thinking about Crookshanks." She frowned. "I miss him." The big ball of, usually angry, fluff had disappeared halfway through sixth year. She had to assume that he knew he was getting old and wandered off to pass away without upsetting her too much.

"He was a smart cat." Remus said. "He hated Pettigrew, or Scabbers as Ron called him." Hermione smiled at the memory.

"Yes. He did." She sighed and turned away from the shop front. They wandered back down the way they came and sat down on a bench outside Flourish and Botts. Remus had noticed the strange looks they were getting and it was really getting to him. It simply increased his worry over their age difference and what everyone would think of them. Some people were quite obvious about their stares and whispers and he had to wonder why Hermione hadn't noticed yet.

"-looks old enough to be her father." Hermione heard someone say. Her head whipped in the direction of the voice and Remus looked over at her. She glared at the gossiping, old hags and they quickly walked away. Hermione turned to see Remus watching her nervously. She looked down at the ice cream and repressed a smile as she scooped up a bite.

"Open up, love." She said, holding the spoon out for him. She saw a few people stop to watch out of the corner of her eye. "I don't care what they think, Remus." She almost whispered. She knew his ears would pick it up though. He smiled softly, pushed his worries aside and took the bite off the spoon. When he had swallowed the bite, he kissed her on the nose and she giggled.

The sound of a bag dropping in shock made them both look around to see Harry staring at them, Ginny at his side.

"Wh-what?" He said, sounding confused. He stepped closer to them. "What was that?" He asked, sounding angry.

"Flirting?" Hermione said, phrasing it as more of a question. Harry glanced around at the people watching them.

"Let's get in the store." He said quickly. "Molly knows where we're headed." He lead them to a secluded corner of the shop and turned angrily. "When did this start?" He whispered furiously.

"Just before the full moon." Hermione replied.

"We haven't officially started a relationship." Remus added. "We're just… testing the waters, so to speak."

"And it didn't occur to you to tell me? Any of us?" Harry replied. Hermione shrugged.

"We figured we'd tell everyone if or when we actually start a relationship." She told him. Harry stared at them for a moment as if deciding whether to believe them or not.

"Trust me Harry." Remus said. "You'd be one of the first to know." The words seem to make him relax a bit.

"I'd better be." He said finally.

"Well, I think it's great." Ginny said. "You two would be good together."

"Who?" Ron asked, coming up to them, followed by Molly.

"No one." Harry said. He pulled Ginny and Hermione down the row of books quickly, looking for their books for this year.

_Author's Note: Two chapters in one day? Wow, I'm good! Let me know what you think so far!_

_R&R  
Hope you like it  
AliceLupin_


	3. Chapter 3 Back To School

_Author's Note: Hello again! I'm back with chapter three. I know, I suck for making you wait so long, and I'm sorry. But here it is! We left off as they were finishing up their supply shopping in Diagon Alley. I thought the ice cream was cute. We'll pick up as their boarding the Hogwarts Express. Again, I'm not J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the plot which I hope you enjoy! _

_Happy Reading!  
AliceLupin_

_**PS **__I posted it once for about an hour then decided I didn't like how it was headed so I changed it. If you previously read it, please read it again! Thanks._  


**Chapter 3 – Back to School**

"Hurry! Get on the train." Molly told them. "Have a good year!" They all waved back at her and stowed their trunks in the luggage compartment of the train before getting on and finding an empty compartment. Hermione stared out the window glumly. Remus had left for Hogwarts the day before yesterday and not seeing him for so long had put her in a sour mood. She pulled out one of her newest books, _Handy Potions for Magical Creatures_, and reread the instructions for the Wolfsbane potion, ignoring Ron's pleas for someone to play cards with him.

About halfway through the train ride, their compartment door opened to reveal Draco Malfoy.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Golden Trio plus one." He sneered. "Granger I heard some very… interesting stories about you in Diagon Alley the other day." Hermione turned red and he smirked. "Heard you were getting quite cozy with our former Dark Arts professor over a bowl of ice-"

"What's it to you Malfoy?" Ginny interrupted him. Hermione was too busy trying not to notice how good Malfoy smelled, cinnamon and spice, and old parchment, to reply.

"Oh I just wanted remind her to be careful." He replied almost gleefully. "He is a werewolf after all. Wouldn't want the brightest witch of our age to turn in to a half breed, now would we?" Hermione jumped to her feet and growled at him. She could feel her eyes shifting and Mia made herself known, all thought of how good he smelled gone from both her minds.

"First of all, Ferret, it's none of your business how I spend my free time." Malfoy stepped backwards quickly as he saw he eyes. "And second, there's nothing wrong with being a werewolf. In fact, I think that, judging by the look on your face, it gives me quite the upper hand." She was close enough to reach out and slam the compartment door shut, which she did but not before Mia threw a wink at Malfoy and growled softly, his scent not lost on her. Harry, Ron and Ginny all laughed as they heard Draco scramble down the hallway.

It faded quickly as Hermione turned around and they saw her eyes.

"Hermione…" Harry said. "Um, you're eyes are-"

"Yes, I know Harry." She said. She sat down and closed her eyes, willing Mia to go away. When she opened them and looked around, they were back to her chocolate brown. She turned and stared out the window and the rest of the train ride passed in mostly silence while Hermione's brain ran in circles. Did Mia like Malfoy? What about Remus? She had practically thrown herself at Remus but with Draco it was more subtle. However, Remus had been quite standoffish lately, she had tried to confront him a few times since their trip to Diagon Alley but he always changed the subject and left. Her brain was still running as they made their way to the Great Hall.

The feast passed quickly and Hermione found herself being one of the last ones to head back to Gryffindor tower. She had spent most of dinner trying not to notice that over the hundreds of people in the Great Hall she could distinctly hear Malfoy and Remus over everyone else. Harry, Ron and Ginny had left earlier, claiming that they were tired. She knew she had startled them earlier on the train but it still hurt.

"Miss Granger." A voice called after her. She turned to see Headmistress McGonagall walking towards her with Remus a few paces behind her. "I need a word. Please follow me." Hermione followed her silently up to her office. When they were all seated the Headmistress began. "As you know, Remus usually spends his full moon in the Shrieking Shack." Hermione nodded, wondering where the woman was going with this. "He's asked that you be allowed to go with him. I'm aware that you spent your first full moon with him there and if it is agreeable to you I will gladly give you permission."

"I'd like that, Professor." Hermione replied.

"Good, good." McGonagall said. "I've informed the other professors that you will be missing a few days a month but I haven't told them why. Though I doubt it will take them long to figure it out." She paused and considered her next words. "I've also been informed of a rather… pressing issue. Something to do with a trip to Diagon Alley." Hermione saw Remus stiffen out of the corner of her eye.

"Minerva, there's no need to berate us there's nothing going on between us." Remus said quickly, avoiding Hermione's eye. "It would be quite unethical." Hermione tried not to frown.

"Well," McGonagall said, seeming a little surprised. She frowned. "If you were, I would have said that no rules would have been broken. Hermione is of age and while there are rules, laws actually, about adults and minors, there is no rule expressly stating that a teacher may not see a student. However, since that's not the case, you may both go." She was still slightly frowning while they both rose and left the office.

"Remus," Hermione called as he turned away to leave. He paused but didn't turn around. "What happened? I thought-"

"I'm sorry that I led you to believe we could be more than friends, Hermione." He said. "But we can't."

"But-" She argued. He cut her off.

"Everything that you feel is coming from Mia. None of it would have happened if you hadn't been bitten. I'm your teacher." He turned around and finally faced her. "Just because it's not against the rules doesn't mean that people won't look down on it, especially since I'm 20 years older than you. I was best friends with your friends parents for Merlin's sake. No, it can't work it's better to end it now before it's really begun." He sighed. "Good night, Miss Granger." He turned and walked away, leaving a stunned Hermione in his wake.

"Good morning, everyone!" Headmistress McGonagall called on Monday morning at breakfast. "The Head of each house will be going around to hand out schedules in just a few moments. Have a wonderful first day back to class." She sat down and the Head of each house started walking down their houses' table, handing out schedules and saying a few quick words to each student.

Hermione sat patiently with Harry, Ron and Ginny for Remus to reach the end of the table, trying to focus on the day of classes ahead and not the longing feeling in her chest as Remus got closer.

"How many classes are you guys taking this year?" Ginny asked. "I know 7th years pretty much only take the classes they need for their careers."

"I'm taking Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Defense Against the Dark Arts." Harry, Ron and Ginny stared at her.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" Ron asked. "It's our last year here."

"Because, Ronald, I'd like to keep my options open. With those classes, I could enter into almost any career." Ron frowned.

"Well, I'm only taking Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Charms."

Harry nodded fervently and added, "That's all you need to be an Auror." Hermione turned to Ginny.

"What are you planning on taking next year?"

"Probably Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'd like to be a Healer."

"That sounds like a great plan, Miss Weasley." Remus said, finally reaching them. "But for this year, you have a few more classes as well." He handed out their schedules and told them he would see them later and to have a good day. Hermione, Ron and Harry all laid their schedules down and studied each others.

"We have potions with the Slytherins first." Harry complained.

"At least we have Defense right after that." Hermione pointed out. "With the Ravenclaws."

"Merlin, Hermione!" Ron cried. "You don't have a single free period! Harry and I have two." Hermione shrugged.

"That's what I signed up for." She replied. "We'd better get going. Breakfast is over."

Ginny went upstairs to Charms after giving Harry a quick kiss and the three seventh years headed down to the dungeons. Professor Slughorn had taken over as Potions master once more. The dungeons doors where open when they got there and they quickly entered and took their seats. Hermione tried desperately to ignore the smell coming from across the aisle as Slughorn entered the room and began the lesson.

Most of the day was filled with review and Hermione couldn't wait for classes to be over. She honestly loathed review. Especially when they were asked to preform spells she'd known since third year. Not that that stopped her from answering almost every question the teacher asked.

She ran quickly to McGonagalls office between classes and requested a pass to the restricted section of the library. She granted it once Hermione explained that she wanted to look for more books on werewolves, female werewolves to be specific. She hadn't found much on females. Remus had found one but it was incredibly short and terribly unhelpful. While it had been clear that there were differences between males and females, obviously, it hadn't elaborated on a single one.

When classes were done for the day, she hurried to the library, showed Madam Pince her restricted section pass and headed over to the gated off section. She quickly found several books that seemed to be at least somewhat helpful and checked them out and then she headed to the Gryffindor common room. She got comfortable in her favorite chair by the fire and read part of one of her books before sitting down to do her homework.

_Author's Note: _I, again, apologize for the long wait! I've been so busy with my new job and moving. I know, I know, excuses but here it finally is… Let me know what you think I have a few hours to myself so hopefully I can get the next one out today as well… We shall see.

Happy Reading,  
AliceLupin


	4. Chapter 4 Attraction

_Author's Note: Sorry the last chapter was so short I wasn't sure how to end it… Hope you all liked it though and here's the next chapter. Again, sorry for the long wait, I suck at timely updates lately. We left off at the end of the first day back to classes. So far no big moments with Draco or Remus. Any ideas? And by the way, what happened to the werewolf that bit Hermione?_

_We shall see._

_Also! I changed the dates in the previous chapters a bit because it didn't match up with the lunar charts and such, not really important to the story just changed it from beginning in August to beginning in July, which it should have been in the first place because there needed to be two full moons before the start of school, therefore July._

_Happy Reading, I love reviews!  
AliceLupin_

**Chapter 4 – Attraction**

Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment and started her list.

_Number one – Female wolves will begin going through heat on their fifth or sixth moon_

_Number two – During heat, females should be separated from males as males will become increasingly aggressive and competitive_

_Number three – If the wolfs heat is not satisfied the human will become increasingly sexually frustrated until the wolf is sated_

"What do you mean by sated?" Came Harry's voice behind her. She quickly hid her list and turned around.

"Nothing." She said quickly. It was a testament to how distracted she was that she didn't sense someone coming up behind her. Harry sat down in the chair to the right of her at the small square table in the library. She covered her list with the book she had been previously reading, _'The Life of a Female Werewolf; A Diary by Lidia Black-Waters'_. She had finally found it in the back of the Restricted Section after days of searching through basic werewolf books she had read back in third year.

Lidia was a 27 year old who had been bitten at the age of 15. She was also, coincidentally, an ancestor of Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather. She was something like his great-great-great-great Aunt. Her father had blasted her off the family tree tapestry when she was 16 and the news of her Lycanthropy broke loose. Her book was incredibly well documented and detailed and almost as long as _'Hogwarts; A History'_. She had finished it in 4 days.

She immediately felt guilty for shutting Harry out as she took in the look on his face. They hadn't really talked for a while. She had been so preoccupied with her werewolf condition that she rarely saw her friends. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, Harry." She said finally, a look of guilt crossing her face. "We haven't had much time together lately, have we?"

"It's ok, Hermione." Harry replied. "You've been busy, I get it." She was slightly surprised when she saw guilt spread through his face.

"I need to apologize too." He continued. "I haven't been a very understanding friend; none of us have been really. It's just that, all this wolf stuff, it's hard to take sometimes, you know?" She almost laughed.

"Harry, trust me, I know better than anyone." She sighed. "But I also know that there's nothing I can do about it."

"Yeah." He sighed. "I suppose we all keep forgetting about that bit." He fiddled with a crack in the table for a moment. "So this weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend." He glanced up at her. "Ron, Ginny and I would like to know if you'd like to at least have lunch and do some shopping." Hermione smiled.

"That would be lovely." She replied.

"Great." Harry beamed. "We'll meet in the entrance hall." He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later, 'Mione. I've got homework of my own to finish."

"Come on back if you need help." Hermione said. "I'll be here all day."

The week passed by uneventfully and it was finally Friday. Hermione plopped down in her favorite chair by the fire and pulled out her latest book on female werewolves. She was pretty sure she knew all there was to know about females but she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything. Halfway through her book, Harry, Ron and Ginny came into the common room. They spotted her and made a beeline for the empty couch and armchair around the fire. Harry and Ginny occupied the couch and Ron dropped himself very ungracefully into the armchair across from hers. She bookmarked her page and put her book away as Harry started talking.

"You missed it 'Mione. It was great. Right in the middle of the entrance hall even." He said. "Pansy and Malfoy had a huge falling out. Apparently she cheated on him with, get this, Crabbe."

"He is the less stupid of the two." Ginny said. "I'd be more shocked if it was Goyle." She paused. "It's still shocking though. What even more shocking is that they allowed the entire castle to see their screaming at each other. He called her a slag and all sorts of nasty names."

"Don't blame him." Ron added. "I would've done the same if my girl had cheated on me." They all stared at Ron in shock.

"Did I just hear you agree with Malfoy?" Hermione asked. "That's a first."

"I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, I'm just saying I would've reacted the same. Maybe a little less pubic but I'd be furious just the same." Ron defended himself. The conversation turned to the upcoming Hogsmeade trip.

"George, Lee and Angelina have finally opened up a second shop. It's right next to the post office." Ron said. "George wants me to work with him a couple of weekends during school and then for a while after I get out. Get more Weasley's in the business." There was a moment of silence as everyone took in the meaning behind it.

At first, George hadn't wanted to open the shop back up after Fred died but Ron quickly convinced him that the best way to honor Fred would be to press on and make his shop a tribute to the lost twin. He rounded up Lee and they opened three weeks after the fall of Voldemort. They had been so busy the first month that George had hired on Angelina.

Everyone in the family helped, some more than others. Ron had worked there almost the whole summer, Ginny had gone in almost every weekend. Even Percy, who had been much less of a snob since the war, had helped out once or twice.

"McGonagall said that as long as my grades are good she doesn't see why I can't." Ron finally added.

"Does she mean your definition of good or hers?" Ginny asked.

"Hers." Ron said grumpily. "I have to have at least an Exceeds Expectations in all of my classes." He looked hopefully at Hermione. "Would you be willing to help me 'Mione?"

Hermione repressed a flinch. She hated when Ron called her 'Mione. Harry was a different story. She had always felt that Harry was more of a brother and Ron was a friend. She had known about his feelings towards her for some time but by the time he had figured it out, she was no longer interested.

"I'll help you. But it'll be my definition of help, not yours." She said. Harry laughed.

BANG!

Everyone in the common room jumped and turned towards the portrait hole, many with wands at the ready. The fear hadn't completely left them from the war. Many people looked confused at what they found; Professor Lupin standing in the doorway, dripping wet and shaking, looking frantically around the room. His eyes focused on Hermione. She hurried towards him, Ginny, Harry and Ron right behind her. The closer she got, the more it became apparent that he was not only dripping wet but he was also crying.

Hermione quickly pushed him out of the common room. Ron pushed the portrait shut and ginny cast a silencing charm on it.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked Remus. "What's happened?!"

Remus shivered and Hermione quickly cast a drying and warming spell on him.

"Th-thanks." Remus stuttered. He leaned against the wall and sank down to sit on the floor. Hermione kneeled in front of him and felt something shift in her head.

"Tell us what's wrong, Remus." Mia said. Hermione flinched and hoped her eyes weren't yellow. Remus focused on her face, then looked up at Harry.

"S-Sir-Sirius." He said.

"What?" Harry knelt next to Hermione. "Remus, Sirius is dead. He died in 5th year."

Remus shook his head and swallowed. "He d-didn't die. He w-was s-st-stolen." Remus struggled to stand and Hermione immediately wrapped an arm around him to help him stand.

"We need to get you to the Hospital wing." Hermione said. Harry quickly agreed and took Remus' other side. They made their way as quickly as they could.

Harry's mind was going in circles. What did he mean Sirius wasn't dead? He had been there. Seen what had happened. His godfather had been hit with the Killing curse and the force of it had pushed him into the veil. He had spend a good month and a half at the beginning of 6th year trying to find a way around the veil and hadn't found a single thing.

Ron pushed the doors of the hospital wing open and they were shocked to already find a room full of people.

"Oh, good." Madam Pomfrey said when she saw them. "I was hoping someone would bring him back. Put him here." She hurried over to a bed. "He left before I could tell him to stay." Hermione and Harry carefully sat Remus down. Madame Pomfrey immediately dumped several vials down his throat.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked. "Will he be ok?"

"He'll be fine. He's just has a slight case of pneumonia. A couple doses of potions and a good few day's rest will be fine." The healer replied. She quickly strode back across the room and stepped into a curtain around a bed in the corner.

"Mr. Black however, is much more serious case." McGonagall said from behind them. Everyone turned towards her in shock. Hermione pulled a chair up next to Remus' bed as he got comfortable on it. She gently slipped her hand into his and he didn't pull away.

"Remus said Sirius is back? How is that possible?" Harry asked her immediately. "Is he okay? What's wrong with him? Can I see him?"

"Whoa, Mr. Potter. One question at a time please." McGonagall chuckled. "It appears that Sirius is indeed back. Professor Lupin arrived at the castle half an hour ago much in the same condition he is now, with an unconscious Sirius Black on a stretcher behind him. He has yet to tell anyone how he came about finding Mr. Black or given any clue to how either of them got in this condition." Everyone's heads turned towards Remus. His voice was raspy and weak when he responded but the stuttering had faded.

"I received a letter from an old friend, Ariel Grundswald. She was Sirius' biggest relationship back in school. The writing was quickly scribbled with her location and all she said was it was an emergency. I told McGonagall what my location would be and left immediately." He had to take a moment to catch his breath. "She was at her house and Sirius was there, passed out in the front lawn. Of course it was pouring down rain and she was too small to move him. She lost her wand about a week ago and hadn't gotten around to getting a new one. When Sirius showed up she had no idea what to do. The first thing she thought of was to owl me." Madame Pomfrey came over and gave him a steaming cup of butterbeer and went back to the curtained bed. Remus stared after her, taking a long drink off his butterbeer. When he continued his voice sounded much better.

"She knew he was supposed to be dead of course. She thought maybe he was an imposter so she didn't want him in her house. She stood out in the rain and explained that he had knocked on her door. She went to open it and all he got out was her name before he feinted. Unfortunately, before hitting the ground he knocked his head really good on one of her garden rocks. I had to stop the bleeding before I could move him. We were out in the pouring rain for a good hour almost hour and a half. He was bleeding bad."

"Are you sure it's him?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm 95% sure." Remus replied. "I'll know once he wakes up though."

"Good." McGonagall bid them good night and went off to speak with Madame Pomfrey.

"So he's really back?" Harry asked Remus. He pulled a chair up next to Hermione.

"I'm fairly certain he is, yes." Remus replied before yawning. "Can you guys please excuse me? I'm rather tired and I have to chaperone the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. We won't learn anything new until Sirius wakes up."

"I'm going to try to see him. Unconscious or not, I have to see him for myself." Harry said. He got up and put his chair away and Ginny followed him over to Sirius' bed. Hermione smiled after them, they had a great relationship. Ron Yawned and muttered about going to bed. Hermione turned to face Remus once more.

"I'm glad you're okay." Hermione said quietly. Remus gently pulled his hand from hers.

"Me to. You should get to bed." Remus said.

"Remus-"

"I'm sure there's a lot you want to talk about but not tonight, 'Mione, please." He said tiredly. She suddenly felt guilty for keeping him longer.

"I'll be back in the morning." She said. She got up and kissed him on the forehead and tried to repress the sadness when she felt him pull away. She left the hospital wing quickly. She wasn't tired in the slightest and curfew was still an hour away so she decided a walk was in order. She headed down stairs and out the front doors. She regretted not stopping by the dorm to grab her cloak but simply cast a warmth charm on herself. She wandered down to the lake and followed the shore to her favorite spot under a willow on the far corner of the lake. It was almost identical to the one in the Weasley's backyard.

She settled herself on a branch and peered out over the lake.

'_What did we do?'_ Mia asked in her head. _'Why does Remus not want us?'_

'_We didn't do anything. He's right a relationship would never work between us.' _Hermione thought. Mia whimpered. The breeze changed direction and she caught a familiar scent.

"Where are you Malfoy?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the lake. Something dropped down beside her.

"You're intruding." Malfoy said dully. Hermione looked over at him and was shocked to see the defeated look on his face.

"Intruding on what?" She asked.

"My pity party, or didn't you hear? Pansy has been cheating on me with Crabbe of all people. For months." He sat down on a branch across from her. "I'm sure I'll get a scathing letter from my father about how I can't keep a woman happy and a letter from my mother feeling sorry for me." He glanced over at her. "Why are you here? Having a pity party of your own?"

"Of sorts." She admitted. He snorted.

"Finally fed up with Potty and Weasel ditching you, huh?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.

"No." She replied shortly. That wasn't even close to the truth. Could she tell him the truth? Certainly not. But she could give him the gist of it. "If you must know, there's a man that's held my attention for quite some time, but now, it seems as though he's fighting against a relationship."

"Don't get your hopes up, Weasel is kind of thick when it comes to girls." He said sarcastically.

"It's not Ronald." She replied, almost insulted. "He and I have only ever been friends and that's how we'll stay."

"Potty then?" He asked.

"Harry is more like a brother. And he and Ginny are great together, I'd never put that in danger." She said.

"Who then? Someone else in Gryffindor? Surely not Longbottom." He guessed.

"No, not Neville. He's not really in any house." She said, without thinking.

"Don't tell me it's a teacher." He said. He was shocked when her face turned red. "It is?! Which one? Is it Lupin the werewolf? There was that business with the ice cream in Diagon Alley." When she didn't respond he took that as a confirmation.

"I don't understand what you see in him. He's twice as old as you and poor to boot." She glared over at him.

"Neither are things that I've ever cared about." Mia growled in the back of her head.

'_This boy insults our mate.'_ She thought angrily. Hermione quickly stamped her down. She didn't need Mia riling her up any more than Malfoy already was.

"If all you're going to do is insult me then I think I'll take my leave." She said finally. She jumped off her branch and headed up to the castle. Unsurprisingly, he didn't follow her.

_Author's Note: Little bit longer chapter. How'd you like the Malfoy moment? Don't worry this is still strictly a Remus/Hermione fanfic. Her and Draco won't be getting together at all. _

_Any ideas for Hermione's maker? How her and Remus should finally get together? Let me know your thoughts._

_Reviews make me happy!  
AliceLupin_


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